No, 15 Orange residents didn't die with COVID last week. Here's what happened, what to know
COVID-19 data released by Orange County show a jump in the number of residents who died with the illness last week.
It was a spike created by inconsistent filing, rather than an individually bad week for the illness locally.
But, those residents did die with COVID, and health officials are warning precautions are needed as the seasons change and winter approaches.
While Johns Hopkins University data suggests 15 people died as a result of COVID-19 last week in Orange, and the county's online COVID dashboard indicates 11 deaths between Oct. 10-12, county Health Commissioner Alicia Pointer clarified in an email the numbers are inflated due to delayed reporting issues. The county recently received 11 death certificates that occurred over the past three months, a stretch in which Orange reported very few deaths previously.
Still, during the first two and half weeks of October, Pointer said, there were seven COVID-related deaths in Orange.
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It's not the first time the county has seen jumps in its count of COVID fatalities. There were 10 added to the dashboard between June 6-7 and 16 added between Aug. 8-10.
What's happening with COVID, flu
According to Orange's COVID-19 data dashboard, there were 1,082 active COVID-19 cases in the county as of Monday. Since the pandemic began, the county reports there have been at least 136,636 cases and 1,230 deaths.
Pointer said the county's recent 10-day rolling average of 121 positive cases diagnosed per day is a slight decrease compared to the prior two-week period. There was, however, an increase in COVID-19 numbers at the end of September and into the beginning of October.
Even as COVID-19 numbers trend downward, Pointer said locals should prepare for a spike in positive cases as we head into the winter and for an early flu season.
"Flu is already widespread in New York and in Orange County, we are seeing five times the number of cases that we normally see this time of year," Pointer said.
Pointer said the best protection against the flu and COVID-19 is to receive both the flu and bivalent COVID-19 vaccines. While the COVID vaccine does not make recipients immune to the illness, it has been shown to drastically decrease the probability of contracting a serious case that may result in death.
"It is also important to continue to use common sense measures to prevent spread of infection," Pointer said. "If you feel sick, stay home. Consider wearing a mask if you are feeling unwell, even if you are COVID negative. For people who are medically vulnerable or want added protection, masking can help protect against COVID and other respiratory illnesses such as flu.”
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Orange County COVID death spike inflated; officials preach caution
